09/23/2016

Dog River Run

"Winning Culture: How to pursue excellence and win in a manner consistent

with Norwich Values and good sportsmanship."

Page 21, NUCC Cadet Handbook

The culminating event to end Rook Week is a morning full of PT and fun. It's an event geared to boost the morale of the Rook Class as they perform the time-honored tradition of running up Dog River. That morning started with a first call at 0600. We all got our racks neatly made and got on the wall. When on the wall, your heels are right up against it, you're standing up straight, head and eyes looking straight, and staying silent and still. The Platoon Sergeant came on deck and said in his assertive voice, "Count, off!"

I snapped my head to the right with everyone else as we called out what number in the line we were. We were taking accountability because we had an early chow that morning. We grounded our gear and ate our chow quickly, then made our way up towards the rugby pitch. We formed up on a field covered in Rooks. The sea of rook covers was alive. We all were elated to get Rook Week over with.

We were instructed to ground our gear and all of our patches, and formed up into one long line. Our platoon sergeant instructed us to win, and then explained that we would be performing a few physical challenges against our rook cousins in 4-2. We proceeded to go to the push-up position in our line, raising our backs to create a long tunnel. The goal, to have every member of the platoon crawl underneath the large tunnel of rooks. I was second in line, and after my first rook brother cleared the other end, kicked and pulled myself through the wet grass through the 4-3 tunnel. Low and fast, all the way to the end. 4-3 won the event, to the delight of our cadre.

After a few other events including a dominating match of Tug-o-war with 4-2, we formed in front of the entrance to the Dog River course. We stood waiting for a few minutes, our platoon leader making a joke about Dog River taking those unworthy to Canada. Suddenly, a cannon fired in the distance and the bugler's call pierced the silence. Yelling loudly, we ran down to the "Worm Pits", a series of long trenches filled with mud and cold water. When told to, I jumped into the pits and crawled through grudgingly. On the other end of the 50-foot hole, the shores of Dog River.

"Time to get wet 4-3" said one of our squad leaders as we descended into the water. The river water was probably the best shower anyone had gotten in a week, and the closest alternative to air conditioning given the rare peak of hot weather in Vermont. As we began to march downstream, our cadre instructed us to pick a rock from the river and take it back. It's a symbol of unity between everyone who's done Dog River, a tradition carried out for years by the Rook Class. In between marches down the river, a few sets of push-ups and flutter kicks. The PT felt easy given the week we had just been through. I grabbed my rock from underneath several others. It was round, not too massive unlike the beastly slab one of my roommates took, and moreover it was mine.

Near the end of the course, our platoon was stopped to take a commemorative photo. It was the first one we as a platoon were able to take as a platoon, and even some of the company leadership joined us (I'm behind the guidon). We were run up through a washing station and back to the barracks to get changed for the oath ceremony. The oath ceremony was a promise to live the Norwich motto, "I will try!" It meant that we were being welcomed into the Norwich family, but we had a long way to go before we were recognized cadets.

The end of that day ushered in our first phone calls home and a wish of good luck to us as we began our first day of college in the morning. I miss that day very much, because from that point on, it just got harder.